On 18 August 1860, the Royal Society of Victoria held a Special Meeting of the Society where Burke and another 14 members of the Expedition were present, the official Memorandum of Agreement was read out and then signed by all the members. 150 years later, the Royal Society staged a re-enactment as a curtain-raiser to their annual JE Cummings Oration.

The event was attended by the patron of the Royal Society and Governor of Victoria Professor David de Kretser and Mrs Jan de Kretser, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne the Hon Robert Doyle, and the German Consul Dr Anne-Marie Schleich, as well as members of the Royal Society of Victoria and their guests. After a welcome from Dr Peter Thorne, Vice-President of the Royal Society, he and Robert Doyle assumed new personae as Sir William Stawell, President of the Victorian Exploration Committee and Dr Richard Eades, mayor of Melbourne in 1860. Dr Eades called in Robert O'Hara Burke, played by Dave Phoenix, President of the Burke and Wills Historical Society. Resplendent in riding gear (including spurs!) he ordered the 14 members of the Expedition to fall in at the front of the lecture theatre. Dr Eades chaired the meeting, inviting first Dr John Macadam (played by David Dodd) to read the memorandum and then Sir William Stawell to make a speech. In his role as Stawell, Dr Thorne gave the speech as reported in the newspapers of the day, in which he stressed the importance of obedience to Burke as leader and exhorted the explorers to "all pull together". Then it was time for the men to sign.

As they came forward in turn to sign a narrator provided information about their background, then each turned to the audience and briefly told the story of his part in the Expedition. After they had all signed, the audience learned more about those who did not sign up 150 years ago but nevertheless played important roles in the expedition. First there were the sepoys, who in Victorian times were treated differently from the "men" of the Expedition: they were "day labourers" rather than salaried employees. From the stories we had heard from those who had signed, it was apparent that Burke had started to dismiss members the next day, but he also hired new men all the way to Menindee and these stories were also told, including those of the aboriginal guides, and the tribes who assisted the Expedition even though not formally hired.

Finally Dr Eades made a speech wishing all of the party there present "God speed" and the audience cheered as he shook hands with each of the men as they marched out.

Hear some of the explorers voices in this podcast of the ABC's Bush Telegraph program, broadcast Friday 20 August. Below is the "official portrait" of the cast and VIP audience members.